Feeding mechanism



o. J. scHoRER 2,385,946

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l mv f TOR ATTORNEY 0 o. J. SCHORER 2,385,946

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lN ENTOR BY v ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 2, 1945 z,3ss,94c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a arcanev l FEEDING MECHANISM Otto J Schorer, Northampton, Mass., assignor to Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation, Harrison, N. J a corporation of' Delaware Application Julyso, 1942, Serial, No. 452,923

(c1. 1.21am

4 Claims.

This, invention relates to feeding mechanisms or movement effecting mechanisms wherein an ob e t s m ed th o h a. edeter ined limited range by action of a suitable pressure medium acti eup n a s o An ec o the p se t inventicn s-t pro ide a movemen -e o eed n mec anism which is strong durable, compact and positive acting, embodying av piston operated by pressure fluid acting directly against the piston. A flexible movement-effectin element i connected to the platen- Another object of the invention is. to provide novel; means whereby the cylinder openings, through-which the flexible movement member moves, will be sealed against leakage of operating pressur fluid.

While the feeding or movement-effecting mechanism of the present invention is particularly adaptable for feeding percussive tools, such; asrock drills, to their work, his applicable to a wide variety of uses wherein it is desirable to move an object through a. limited rangeby action of a, pressure fluid.

, With these and other objects in view, as may appear from the, ccompanying specification, the invention consists of various features of construe! tion and combination of parts, which will be first described'in connection with the accompanying .drawings, showing a feeding mechanism of the preferred form embodying the invention, and the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rock drill, showing the improved feeding mechanism applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the improved feeding mechanism.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

' Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the flexible movement-effecting element.

Figure 5 is a cross-section through the flexible movement-effecting element taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic vertical section through the valve mechanism employed for controlling the delivery of pressure fluid to the feeding mechanism.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 11 of Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates a rock drill, of any approved construction, which is mounted upon a supporting cradle 2. The cradle. 2 is slidably supported, as shown at 3, by suitable guide ways 4 carried. by the feed: cylinder 5. The feed cylinder 5. is in turn slide: ably supported, through the medium of guide rails 6 and guide Ways 1'', by a support 8, and the feed: cylinder 5 is held in adjusted positionsv relative to the support 8 by means of the clamp bolt A flexible movement-effecting element, in the formof a chain It, is attached. to the cradle 2,'

as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The flexible movement-effecting element In comprises a plurality of alternate toothed links I I and sealing' discs l2, all of which are pivotally connected by-meansof suitable pivots l3, as. is usual in theconstruction of flexible chains. The teeth I4. are formed on the inner edges of the link H and cooperate or mesh with the peripheral teeth. l5 formed on the guide sprockets 16. One. of? the guide sprockets I6 is rotatably supportedat. each end of the feed cylinder 5 by suitable shafts l1, which are in turn carried by housings [8 attached in any suitable manner to the feed cylinder.

A piston 41 is mounted for reciprocatory move-. ment in the feed cylinder 5. The feed cylinder 5 has axially disposed openings 4'8 in each end thereof through which the chain or flexible moves ment-effecting element I0 passes. The ends of the chain II] are pivotally attached, as shown at l9, to the opposite ends of the piston sothat 1 upon reciprocatory movement of the piston 41 in the cylinder 5, the rock drill I will be moved or fed to its Work or moved away from its work, depending upon the direction of movement of th piston 41.

Air pressure or other suitable pressure fluid for operating the piston 41 is fed to the cylinder from a suitable supply source (not shown) through the valve structure 20, and by operation of the valve 20 the direction of movement of the piston 41 may be controlled.

Any suitable type of Valve structure may be employed, and one such construction is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, wherein the pressure fluid enters the valve body 2| through the inlet passage 22, and passes into the axial bore 23 formed in the rotatable valve cone 24. The valve cone 24 is rotated manually by any suitable type of handle, as indicated at 25. The valve cone 24 has radially extending passages 26 and 21 therein which communicate with the axial bore 23, and the valve body 2| is provided with passages 28 and 29 which communicate, through suitable piping 30 and 3|, with the interior of the rear and forward ends, respectively, of the feed cylinder 5. When it is desired to move the rock piston 41.

- deliver pressure fluid, through the piping 30, into the rear end of the cylinder behind the piston 41 (such position is shown in Figure '7 of the drawings). When it is desired to move the rock drill I toward its work, the valve cone 24 is rotated.

to move the passage 26 into communication with the passage 28. The valve body 2! is provided with exhaust passages 32 and 33'which join and I open out to the atmosphere through a discharge port 34, and the valve cone 24 is provided'with" cut-out portions 35 and 36 so that when the pas-1 sage 21 is in communication with the passage 29 the cut-out portion 35 will establish com- 2385,946 't i a the combination of a stuffing box having a bose, a flexible movement effecting element extending through and movable axially of said bore, sealing discs carried by said element for co-axial moveinent through said bore, said discs having peripheral faces sealingly engageable with the wall face of said bore, and the discs being spaced one from the other distances less than the axial length of said bore to maintain atleast one of the discs in in any position of said element.

munication between the passage 28 and the ex haust passage 33, thus allowing the air-or pressure fluid to bleed out from the forward end of the cylinder when pressure fluid is being admitted e to' the opposite end of theccylinder. When pres-1 sure. fluid is-Lbeing admitted to the cylinder, through the'passages' 26 and 2B, thecuteout portion36 will establish communication between the 'passage 29 andthe exhaust passage 32,-so as to permit exhaustof pressure fluid from behind the Thei openings 48 in the ends of the cylinder 5 are packed with suitablepacking-as indicated at 40, 'and'this packing maybe held in place by a packing gland 4!. The gland 4| and packing cooperate toforrn a stufling box. ;The sealing discs l2, carried by the chain H]; are of; such 7 diameter that during the movement of the chains through the openings 48 the perimetersof the discs will engage the packing 40 and form fluidtight seals, so as'to prevent the leakage of the 'pressure fluid out of the cylinder 5 through th i gs 4B; a a a As shown in the drawings, the guiding sprockets T l6 are provided with cut-out portions '42, whichlreceive the discs I2; during the movement of the chain about the guiding sprockets.

1 It: will beunderstood that the invention is not 7 to be limited to the specific construction or ar rangement of parts shown, but that; they maybe widel'y modified Within the invention defined by theclaims. c 3

'What is claimedis:

1. In a feedingjmechanism for percussive tools} 2. In a feeding mechanism for percussive tools,

'the combination of a sealing means having an opening therethrough, a movement effecting chainextending through saidopening; rigid sealing members interposed in said chain and passable in succession through said opening, said sealsaid sealing members being spaced one from the other distances less than the axial length of said opening to maintain at least one of the sealing members in sealing "engagement with the wall face of said opening in any positio'n'of said chain;

3. In a feeding mechanismfor percussive tools, the-combination of a support having an opening, a flexible movement effecting element extending through and movable axially of said opening; spaced and rigid sealing bodies carried by said element for movement through said opening, said bodies being perimetrically, sealingly engageable with the Wall face of said opening, and said bodies being spaced one from the otheredistjances less than the axial length of 'said'opening to'maim tain atleast one of said bodies in sealing relationship with the wall face of said opening in 7 OTTO J. iSCI-IOREB. 

